An Adventure Best Left in Dreams
by HaibaraDaiFan
Summary: So I promised myself I wouldn't do this, but I just had to have fun. Ridiculous story about 'dreaming' myself into DC. I promise you, I am not a relative nor am I a detective. Or very smart, as you will find out ;) Mostly comedy for the first few chapters. Super duper AU.
1. Horse Laugh

AN: I take 0 responsibility for this story. I just had to do it. I really did. It was an impulse. And I have over twenty pages so don't think it's going to go away. But I will offer you some hope - it gets better. I just didn't feel like re-writing my opening chapters :D -because I'm super lazy-. If people like this, I'll update within the week. Jussayin.

OH. English is in **bold.**

Chapter 1: Horse Laugh

My stomach hurt so bad, my face sharing the same sentiment. But I just couldn't stop laughing. I had the infamous 'horse laugh' of Westerners on 1000%. And though laughing is supposed to be contagious, I'm pretty darn sure it wasn't in my case.

I tried to regain control of myself, taking deep breaths when my laughing would permit, and making "hmmm" noises in some abstract attempt and taking it down. But people continued to stare, especially the person in front of me.

**"Are you okay?"** Tears began to stream from my eyes until I looked down, realizing I had jack squat with me. But that just sent another storm of laughter through. The boy in front of me was clearly confused.

You see, I was laughing at the insanity of it all. Considering there was enough of it to sink a ship, I was laughing loud enough to cause the entire crime scene investigation team and anyone else in the remote area to stare. Most of those looks were disapproving. I had no purse with me. I took another pat of my pockets while fighting for air to feel something that calmed me down instantly.

I pulled out a group of things clipped together. I was still breathing heavily, wheezing lightly because I have asthma. A social security card from the US, a passport... a visa? And a credit card. All in a name I sure as heck didn't recognize. But my face was printed on my identification documents. My face... just different. Of course it was only natural, considering I was looking at an anime character. It would follow that I would look similar. Except my hair was longer in the picture and right now. Pictures can add ten pounds, but it sure seemed like it had taken them instead.

**"So you do have identification?"** The boy in front of me asked, clearly annoyed. I held it out to him.

"Keisatsu." _Police._ I said, the only word I could come up with. He raised an eyebrow, but took it from me and ran toward a police officer. I stared blankly at the credit card in my hand.

_Hoshino Kanmuri._ I frowned. I was clearly not Japanese. I had never been to Japan and would have no earthly idea how I would've gotten here with a fake name. But if I didn't want to end up in jail under a foreign judicial system, I was going to stick with the idea that my name was indeed Hoshino Kanmuri. That was step one of staying out of jail, I supposed.

I stared down the people around me, still unable to comprehend what I was seeing. Everyone seemed _real_ despite the slight oddity that remained to me, the thing being that I was conscious of the fact that they were supposed to be anime characters. Looking down at my hands, I confirmed that I looked the same. And I was wearing clothes I never thought I'd attempt pulling off. Things like skinny jeans didn't really fit me. I took my hands through my hair and pulled it over my shoulder, amused with the length. A thought occurred to me and I patted at my forehead, feeling bangs. It was similar to a hairstyle I had really admired and even had a few times.

My identification was handed back to me, this time by a relatively young detective with brown hair and a serious yet somewhat kind expression. I subdued my giggles and took it back, staring at the name to try to see why it seemed vaguely familiar to me.

The boy appeared again, his expression less kind and much more serious. I heard the detective ask me something, and though I understood it, I made no effort to answer. Mostly because I was wondering how long it would take me to wake up out of my ridiculous dream.

**"****My name is Edogawa Conan, and I'll be translating for Detective Takagi. He wanted to ask you about what you were doing here at the crime scene."** Man, this kid's English pronunciation was hilarious. Not that I should judge him, I reprimanded myself, because at least he knew the language. I could only say some words and understand some things if people spoke slowly. I leaned back, then looked at Takagi-keiji when I responded.

**"****I honestly have no idea. I woke up here, 'cause this kid was shaking me and there were sirens. I have no idea where I am, or why I'm here."** Conan hesitated before translating, glaring at me like I was lying. I wasn't. I just seemed like I was lying because I found it incredibly hilarious that I was talking to anime characters. Takagi-keiji seemed unamused at my response.

**"****Are you saying you lost your memory?"** Conan asked for the detective. I pondered for a moment. That was probably as close to the truth as it was going to get. I nodded.

**"****I don't remember anything. I only now know my name thanks to my identification."** Conan repeated my words in Japanese, to which Takagi-keiji gave a slight nod before going off to talk to another suspect.

Yes. I was a suspect for a murder. Apparently lying against the door of someone's apartment who just got murdered makes you a person likely to have killed them. Because only really bad murderers fall asleep outside their victim's door. I sighed loudly as Conan followed Takagi-keiji. This was beginning to be a really boring dream. Sure, I liked Conan and Takagi, but I loved Haibara Ai to pieces and neither she nor the professor were anywhere in sight. And if this dream followed anything logically, I'd be deported or something. Paperwork and questions. Why have a dream like this if that was all it would result in?

After they all made their rounds individually talking to the suspects, and Conan making conspicuous up-close inspections of the crime scene, they called us all to stand together to review the facts. I found myself a little nervous standing next to the two others (how typical for there to be three suspects), knowing that one of them was really a murderer. I swallowed, glancing at them to try to gauge which one might've done it so as to stay as far away as possible.

Swallowing and glancing around at other people is apparently suspicious, because the detectives kept glancing at me. Great. I tuned out the explanation of the murder and the times, knowing that if I knew how messed up one of these people were that I was going to find myself curled in a corner. Not that the blood on the floor was that bearable. The other two suspects were a thin, tall woman with wiry black hair and sunken in eyes, and a large bald man with a strong stench. Both looked angry.

"I don't know why you're not considering that foreigner! She's just claiming to have lost her memory to get off the hook!" I jumped, hearing the angry woman's voice. I understood her clearly, too, which felt a bit unsettling. I knew my Japanese skills weren't that great. Everyone turned and looked at me. "And she was laughing! Who else would laugh about someone being murdered!" She added for good measure. My face began to feel hot. The overwhelming feeling of being stared down and out of place was something I was not very good at handling. Anxiety began to build up inside as I stared at my feet. Huh. Flats and skinny jeans.

I heard a familiar voice come from a slumped-over Mouri Kogoro. I looked back up and raised my eyebrows. How did I miss him being tranquilized? Conan was nowhere to be seen, either.

"Hoshino-san is not the murderer. The true culprit..." I felt relief wash over me with that statement, knowing that once this deduction was over, I wasn't going to be sent to jail. At least, not for murder. Everyone in the room held their breath, waiting on the next words. "...Kirino-san, it's you." The man, apparently Kirino-san, snarled. I began inching away from him through the apparently brilliant deduction by our number one detective.

I wasn't paying much attention until I felt myself bump into something and everything went silent. I stared down in horror to my left, where Mouri Kogoro had fallen over.

"Mouri-san?" Someone asked. And that's when I saw Conan, hiding behind a potted plant a few feet away. His eyes were filled with fear, and I just knew he was about to run out and make an awkward and overly obvious attempt to set the man back up. And then Mouri Kogoro made things worse by snoring. I stifled a laugh.

**"****Nggggh. Sorry, my throat." **I made a similar noise as Kogoro's snoring and grabbed at my throat. I could see Conan's stare of disbelief. I then looked down again, pretending to be shocked and threw my hands into the air. **"****Oh! Goodness, sorry for running into you!"** I hoped no one would notice just how long the man had been lying sideways and grabbed him by his shoulders, heaving him back up into his normal position. I did this while trying to look like I was just trying to show my concern, sticking my face into his sleeping one. **"****A-Are you okay? **Daijobu desu ka?" I repeated in Japanese, realizing that Mouri most likely didn't know English. I watched Conan staring out of the corner of my eye, and finally, he stuttered into the mouthpiece.

"A-Ah, no problem, Hoshino-san. I'm fine. The victim was..." He continued, hardly skipping a beat. I sighed in relief again. Until I realized, as they put the suspect in handcuffs and shooed him out to a police car, that I had clearly made it known that I knew Conan was pretending to be Kogoro. I didn't know if that was a bad thing or not, but some part of me didn't feel like I wanted that to be mounted to the suspicion he already had of me.

**"****We haven't found any relatives for you. At all. The address you have on file is to a hotel." **Conan informed me at my feet. I took the paper he held out with the hotel name and address. He was giving me a glare that sent chills down my spine. Usually observing that glare made me giddy, or something, but it just freaked me out now that I was receiving it. Suddenly I smiled, squatting down to be eye level.

**"****How does such a young child speak such good English?"** I asked, my smile getting wider as fear replaced his confidence. He began to struggle with something to say, and I stood back up. I saw Mouri Kogoro coming toward me, his face beaming. Of course, he was gloating on his successful deduction. I smiled and bowed slightly.

"Mouri-san." He laughed a little and nodded back. He planted his hand roughly on Conan's head.

"Sorry this kid was bothering ya." I smiled.

"Then..." I bowed again, excusing myself. I heard a faint protest from the shrunken teen, but I walked myself out of the building and went to the street, starting to feel anxiety build up inside of me yet again. Now that the hysteria of waking up in such a situation was gone, I was beginning to realize my position. I didn't know what I could really do with this address, and I wasn't one for just aimlessly doing things. That was when I saw a red sports car. Satou-keiji was walking towards her vehicle.

"Satou-keiji?" I yelled, running up to her. Her hair cut made her look cooler and edgier than it seemed to me before, and some part of me resisted touching it. Her dark eyes gave me a once-over, probably trying to discern what my intentions were.

"Hoshino-san...?" She said slowly. Her memory served her well. I smiled and held out the piece of paper. She slowly took it. After reading it, she gave it back, a questioning look on her face.

"I want to go... here." I poked at the paper. This was beginning to test my limits of Japanese. Her lips turned into a frown. I braced myself for "I'm not a taxi" when Takagi-keiji appeared.

"Satou-san! This is Hoshino Kanmuri, she claims to have lost her memory, and that's the only place we have on record for her. I don't think she knows how to get there and she doesn't speak a lot of Japanese..." I was a bit shocked to see Takagi come to my aid. I flashed him a smile of appreciation. He gave Satou a bit of a sheepish grin as she glared at him, possibly because he sounded like he was telling her what to do. Her hands rested on her hips. She looked back at me and I tried to look as sweet as possible. I think it worked, because she sighed and pointed to the back seat of her car.

The interior was clean and sleek, just like the outside. It even smelled like a new car still, probably due to the air freshener. I sat down carefully, and closed the door behind me. For a moment I was confused when Satou got in on the right an Takagi on the left, but then I remembered that they drove on the other side of the road here. I made sure to buckle my seat belt, just in case Satou had any crazy driving ideas during our trip.

The ride there was fairly silent, since neither were willing to engage in an English conversation with a stranger in the back seat. I did hear a "hold on" at one point, where both Takagi and I braced ourselves for a sharp turn. I still about knocked myself out on the window. We pulled up to a tall hotel building, reaching heights that I couldn't confirm from my view so close to the entrance.

"We're here." Satou stated. No one moved, and I eventually figured out that they were done with assisting me. I thanked them and quickly got out. In order to not seem too awkward, I took confident-looking strides to the glass doors, only to feel my stomach drop as I stepped into the lobby.

The ceiling soared upwards, creating a dramatic and open atmosphere. There was a large fountain in the middle with sleek stones and subtle lighting. The entire place looked pristine and high-class, with gold-colored everything, set off with tones of deep brown. I swallowed as I stared back at the row of attendants behind the counter, standing straight with perfectly pressed uniforms. I looked around timidly, searching for a line I could join. Seeing that there was none, I strode up to the nearest attendant.

**"****Can you tell me what my room number is?"** I asked, sliding my identification across the cool marble counter top. I must've intimidated the girl, because her eyebrows knit together and she muttered something like 'one moment please', and scurried over to an older woman at the other end of the counter. The older woman held her head high and walked calmly over to me. She smiled flawlessly as the first girl took glances between the both of us nervously.

**"****How can I be of assistance?"** She asked. I pointed to the identification.

**"****Can you tell me what my room number is?"** I repeated. She gently picked up my card and looked back at me.

**"****Of course. Just one moment, please."** One hand held the card out for her viewing purposes and the other expertly keyed in the information. I noticed her lips turn downward and her eyes narrow in frustration as she repeated the process three more times, hitting the keys a little harder than necessary. She then slid the card back to me. **"****I apologize, but that name is not registered with us."** I smiled weakly back, feeling the heat return to my face. I felt like an idiot. But one more thought came to my mind, and I used my last ounces of courage to be able to ask the question,

**"****Sorry... could you tell me how to get to Beika City, 2****nd ****District, 22****nd ****street?" **The woman blinked for a moment, then smiled and pulled a post-it note and began to write directions as she told them to me. After she handed it to me, I bowed, thanked her, and left. I grasped the note tightly in my hand. If this was a dream – as it must be - I might as well take my chances.

* * *

><p>Review if you want more of my nonsense. :) P.S., I came up with the name after watching Rachel &amp; Jun's (they're jvloggers) video about how people come up with anime names and the such. If you've seen that video, do you understand my identification name? Eh? Eh? No? Okay, I'll leave you alone.<p> 


	2. Starstruck

Chapter 2: Starstruck

It turns out that even in my dreams I hate going strange places by myself. I debated with myself at every turn if I was going in the right direction. Did I pass my turn? Is it really fifty friggen street signs later or did I misread the signs? Right or left? What if she was wrong? Which way is north? My legs were on fire, considering I never walked that far on a regular basis. Who walks for two hours just to get to someone's house? I would just take my car...

It was well into night time when I reached the -hopefully- correct street. I began to feel uneasy, looking over my shoulder every second in case some deranged person was following me or a mugger was planning on attacking me. In addition, I felt mounting dread that I might not be in the right place.

That was until I saw the professor's unique house. It looked like none other, and his yellow beetle signified to me that there was no doubt that it was the correct house. Except now I didn't know what to do. Just... knock on the door, explain that I have nowhere to go, I know everyone already, and wanted to know if they could let me stay with them? That would fly. Yep. Totally. I sighed deeply, sitting down against the wall around Agasa Hiroshi's house. I let another sigh go, one more of relief for my stinging legs.

I stopped wondering how I was going to approach them and stared at Kudo Shinichi's gate, where I knew Haibara Ai had once laid, unconscious, soaking wet in a lab coat. I smiled to myself, regaining a little hope. If the professor took in a random girl once, twice couldn't hurt, right? Except I wasn't a kid. Or shrunk. Or an important piece to the Detective Conan puzzle. I was just an idiot dreaming ridiculous things.

"Who are you?" My blood ran cold and I felt fear course through me. The voice was so familiar I could scream, but the fear I felt at being discovered right here, right now, by none other than Haibara Ai had me frozen. How could I have not heard the gate? I turned my head slowly, staring straight into unforgiving eyes. I noticed she had a bag over her shoulder. Had she planned on going shopping?

**"****I... I..." **I couldn't come up with words, feeling awestruck the way many would feel when they meet their favorite star. It hurt to see her frown. She slowly backed up into a clearer view for anyone in the house. The light flooding from the windows brightened up her face, revealing the striking color of her hair – that red! - and the aquamarine in her eyes.

"Hakase!" She called, her eyes never leaving me. I began to feel panicked, and swung my arms wildly.

**"****N-No, I... I was just... resting."** I finished lamely. She didn't look very amused. Funny how no one here did... Within moments, Agasa-hakase came to the gate, swinging it open.

"What's wrong, Ai-kun?" His eyes rested on me, and his eyebrows shot up. Even in person, he seemed a bit comical, with his toddling stride and his round eyes behind his round glasses. "Who's this?"

"The girl you and Kudo-kun spoke about when you thought I wasn't listening, most likely." _Eh?!_ I spluttered, no words coming to my aid yet again. Agasa's reaction was similar, but it seemed like he was more concerned that Haibara had heard a conversation the two guys had tried keeping from her. Did that mean... they thought I could be a part of the Organization? That's the only thing they ever hid from her...

And being the idiot I am in awkward situations, I just decided to start spitting out stupid things.

**"****Hey now! I just needed to rest. And... I uh... you know... I'm not a bad person!"** Haibara's suspicious gaze never left me. Never changed. I wanted to cry so bad. I always wanted to enjoy her company, not feel like she hated me.

**"****Come inside."** She said smoothly, motioning toward the door the professor had left open. I stood slowly and obliged. It wasn't like I had anywhere else to go. When I stepped into the house, I felt a really weird sense of awe wash over me. So many good scenes occurred here. The place was much bigger in person than it appeared on screen. I looked around, wide-eyed, before sitting on one of the couches. I couldn't help but run my fingers over the material of the furniture, taking in all its qualities.

"Edogawa-kun, you need to come over immediately." Haibara said into her phone, her eyes still glued to me. She then terminated the call with no hesitation, not waiting a single moment for him to respond. And I started giggling. Her eyes narrowed. I felt the need to explain, but then Agasa came into view with three cups of what I must assume was tea. He placed one in front of me, then sat next to Haibara, a stern look on his face. I smiled weakly, feeling more and more like I wanted to wake up. I met them, and they aren't that pleasant when they don't know you. The end. Send me home. Wake me up.

**"****You were a suspect in a case earlier today, and now you're at our house. Explain yourself."** Haibara said, then took a sip of her tea. I squirmed.

**"****Coincidence?"** My voice tone didn't sound anymore convincing than my word choice. She deadpanned. I sighed. **"****I don't really know. I just came here because I have nowhere else to go."** I decided honesty would be better than trying to come up with an excuse. I was bad at lying. Terrible. I heard Haibara Ai's light voice translating for Agasa's sake. I took the time to take a drink of the tea, which took quite a while since I tipped the cup slowly, trying to test how burning hot the liquid would be. Every time I would get close, I would jerk it back, afraid I'd burn my lip. After doing this over five times, I finally took a tiny sip, my face scrunching up from the heat. I burned my tongue way too easily.

I offered another weak smile as they stared at me. Finally, Haibara spoke again.

**"****How did you find this place?"** Well that was nice and unexplainable. I fidgeted with the handle of my cup.

**"****I... found it. Online. At an internet cafe. I was just looking around and uh... heard about the famous inventor, Agasa Hiroshi. Then there was this thing about some kids called the Detective Boys and Conan-kun was in it."** Haibara's face showed her horror, but she promptly translated. Agasa looked just about as horrified. I couldn't blame them. If you could find the elusive Sherry's home by doing an amateur internet search, they were in deep trouble.

It was about then that Edogawa Conan burst into the house, calling out his intrusion. "What was so urgent that you had to call me like that, Hai-" He stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing me.

"This was the woman from earlier, yes?" She pointed to me like an object. Gee, thanks. Love you, too.

"Hoshino-san..." He muttered, a frown on his face. I just wanted them to stop feeling so threatened around me.

**"****Look, I noticed that Mouri-san was actually unconscious when I bumped into him, okay? That's when Conan-kun appeared with that bow tie," **- I pointed to the thing secured around his neck - **"****and I just put two and two together. It's not my business, and I made Mouri-san fall over, so I just covered for him. I'm not going to tell anyone, alright?"** This explanation did little to relieve their skepticism.

"She was outside the house. She claimed she found our address online along with information about Hakase and the kids. And you." I shuddered at the way her voice dropped dangerously with her last sentence. Or fragment. Whatever. He frowned deeply. May I note that they totally glossed over my explanation? I felt irritation build inside – the same that always did when I felt invisible.

"If what she says is true, then I don't see why we would need to continue this conversation." Conan and Ai shared an intense look, one that screamed "ESP!". Together they looked back at me. Oh hey, guys. Not like I've been here THE WHOLE TIME. Haibara picked up her cup and drank from it as Conan spoke.

**"****Then please keep your promise. We apologize for being so rude. If you don't need anything else, then..."** I noticed Agasa frown at Conan's hospitality fail. I chuckled uneasily.

**"****Actually... I don't have any place to stay." **Haibara set her jaw. It sent another jolt of pain to my heart. The suggestion of me being here made her nervous and on-edge. She had no idea how much I adored her – how I'd never wish to cause her harm. Conan sent Agasa a threatening glare, but it did little to stop the man from opening his mouth.

"We have an extra bedroom you could use for a couple of days. It's the least we could do." He sent Conan a glare back. After a moment, Conan translated for him. I guess it did mean a lot for someone to admit they knew that Conan was pulling the strings but wasn't going to tell.

"Isn't this basically blackmail, Hakase?" Haibara hissed, putting her cup back down angrily. "With this idiot" - she jabbed a thumb toward Conan - "she'll get even more suspicious in no time. What if she suddenly feels like having a guest room for a couple of days isn't good enough?" Agasa frowned.

"Ai-kun." He responded a bit sharply, silencing the girl. I felt bad, but I wasn't exactly looking forward to the idea of sleeping on the streets. The three passed a few more looks before Agasa stood, a smile on his face.

"I haven't formally introduced myself. My name is Agasa Hiroshi, nice to meet you." Just as Conan opened his mouth to translate, I found myself standing and bowing slightly before saying:

"Nice to meet you. My name is Hoshino Kanmuri. I'll be in your care." Everyone stared. Right. They didn't notice I understood what they were saying. I especially didn't care for the look coming from Haibara. "My... Japanese is very... eh... not good." I added, finding myself embarrassed at my lack of skills.

"I've had enough of this." Haibara stood as well, swiftly passing by Conan and circling the couches to head down the stairs. I didn't think telling her to wait would be a good idea, so I just stared at her retreating form. This was beginning to be more like a nightmare to me. Agasa's smile broke the awkward intensity.

"Your room is this way."

* * *

><p>I'm shameless. I really am. I was sitting in the guest bed, staring at the door. Gathering my courage to do nothing short of spying on Haibara Ai. I pretended to sleep – and at one point tried to convince myself to – and heard Agasa-hakase say his good night to Haibara about ten minutes ago. It only took that long for the faint sound of his snoring to reach my ears.<p>

I wondered what she was doing. Was she sleeping for once? Or was she working on the antidote? Speaking of, I really wanted to know a few things about that... I sighed softly, trying to keep my noises as quiet as possible. She wasn't about to tell some suspicious stranger about things she didn't even tell Conan.

A thought similar to the repulsive "YOLO" entered my intelligence-lacking mind and I began my journey to the door. I felt nerves begin to take over my being. I glanced back at my bed, which felt so far away. Ugh. I was such a coward.

A deep breath or five later, and I made it into the hallway. I stood still at my doorway, listening for signs of the young scientist. Nothing. There was nothing to hear but the peaceful snoring of one Agasa Hiroshi. My eyes watched the dark path further down the stairs to a place that was often set up to be Haibara's lab. It was so dark. And scary. And she'd kill me.

My heart was pounding in my ears as I slowly crept down the stairs, looking like an over-dramatic fool tip-toeing in a children's show. As I got closer to the door at the end, which provided a soft glow of light from underneath the door, I could hear the familiar noise of someone typing. The giddy feeling a child gets when playing hide-and-seek and someone is just inches away from discovering them overtook me and I almost died in silent laughter. A few breaths calmed me down, and I took a daring chance.

I reached out, my fingers flinching at the cool doorknob. I turned it very slowly, praying that she wasn't standing on the other side with a gun or something. Not that she should be able to have one, but you never know. I was amazed to find that the door opened so easily.

The clicking noises from her keyboard became substantially louder and I swallowed my nerves again. I crept closer, pressing my forehead against the crack between the door and the frame, my hand holding onto the handle still.

The lights were off except a desk lamp. Her computer screen cast more light than the lamp, though. I could see her small frame on her pumped-up computer chair, her fingers dancing across the keyboard in perfect rhythm. I wondered what she was working on...

I shifted my weight back and opened the door a bit more. My heart kept making me deaf, pounding so loudly I might as well have a stereo blaring next to me. I stuck my head in the wider opening, pleased to see that she hadn't stopped typing, her gaze still locked on the screen. I then noticed that she had headphones in. That's why she couldn't hear my absurdly loud heartbeat. I took advantage of my time to look around the room, where an entire half had been fully converted into a lab space. Vials, a Bunsen burner or two, flasks, some other random things I couldn't identify for the life of me. On the other side was a cot.

She didn't even bother walking back up the stairs to her room? My heart began to feel heavy, the room having a bit of an oppressive atmosphere. I recalled the manga where she apologized to her parents. For this. This thing that all those following the series, and Kudo Shinichi himself, hailed as the answer to all the problems. The antidote.

I jumped at a sudden sound – a sniffle. It came, of course, from the object of my stalking. I immediately thought of running out the door, hoping that she wouldn't notice me clambering up the stairs. But instead I stood frozen.

Because the light of the computer screen was being peculiarly reflected... by a tear on the girl's cheek. She quickly brushed it off, without so much as pausing in her typing. What exactly was it that she was doing? My curiosity got the better of me, the back of my mind telling me that this was a dream, so she _probably_ wouldn't _actually_ kill me.

So my infinite insanity led me to step into the room, and eventually a few feet from her. I hoped that she couldn't feel my presence – as I felt others' sometimes – and focused on the words she had been so fervently typing. At first I felt stupid – they were Japanese characters, and I was far from understanding them. Until they began to change into English. I decided to leave that oddity to itself and began to read as fast as possible. I probably had only a few more seconds until she noticed me.

_"Onee-chan, I..."_ I felt my heart twist. She was writing to her sister. Tears began to well up in my eyes as I continued to read, despite knowing Haibara's hatred of people prying into her personal business unwelcome. She was writing it like a journal, but it addressed her sister, even stopping and asking her questions. If only Akemi hadn't died. I felt more and more rooted to the spot as time began to pass. I don't know how long it had been when I began to sniffle.

And I sure as heck don't know how long I'd been in there when I realized she was reaching up to take out her headphones. I had very few options at this point, and seeing her chair begin to turn in slow motion, I did the only thing I could.

**"Hey little girl, do you all have any medicine? My stomach hurts..." **I took a few steps as I said this, holding one hand to my stomach. I hoped the tears in my eyes would be more convincing of stomach pain than of me reading her personal journal.

She spun around in an instant, smashing her hand toward the screen, effectively turning it off while taking me in with wide eyes. Eyes that were shimmering with tears of her own. She began to splutter, clearly caught off guard. Now would probably be the worst time to note how adorable she was.

**"H-How did you get in here?!" **Apparently that was the only thing that made it to her mouth in a reasonable amount of time. I looked around innocently, as if I had just begun to see the place.

**"Huh? Oh, the door was open a crack. What is this place? It looks like a science lab..."** I tried to ignore the glare she was sending me as she hopped off of her chair and started literally pushing me out. It was kind of funny because she could really only push on my legs. I held back a snicker.

**"I don't recall inviting you into my personal space. I'll get you some medicine, just get out!"** Her voice was hitting notes considered amongst the classification of "shrill". I obliged, finding myself outside her door very quickly. Once she got me out of her lab, she shut the door behind us, pulling out a key and locking it. Wordlessly, she brushed past me and ascended the stairs. I followed her, starting to feel guilt pile up inside.

There was a reason she waited until everyone was gone and asleep, and locked (though, for the record, it was unlocked when I opened it) herself in a dark room before typing those things. She didn't intend for anyone to see it. And I had. With no permission.

We arrived at the bathroom, where she climbed a step stool and brought down some antacids.

**"Here. Take two."** I nodded slowly, watching her leave again. At least these wouldn't kill you if you didn't _really_ have a stomach ache. With all the emotions that had been tumbling through me in the past hour, I really did feel a tad queasy. I began to take them, my face twisting from the disgusting taste. A glass of water appeared, and behind it was a tired, unhappy Haibara. **"This will help. After you take it, go back to bed."** I nodded again. She searched my eyes for a moment, invoking a feeling that just exponentially increased my guilt. Finally, she sighed. **"Goodnight."**

**"Goodnight. Have sweet dreams, Haibara."** She stopped short, and I recognized my mistake in my meaningful words. Before I had a chance to sloppily cover up my word choice, she continued on her way. She hadn't introduced herself. And up until now, I had used mostly-appropriate honorifics. It would be strange to address her in such a way. If anything, knowing her name, I should've called her Ai-chan.

It just didn't feel right, though. I took the second antacid and gulped down the water, trying to wash away the lingering aftertaste... and my guilt.

* * *

><p>Because I got three reviews on a story as ridiculous as this, I made good on my promise and brought out another chapter within the week.. :) My apologies for the comedic mood going down... I'm not the best.<p>

**Haibara Ai z **- I'm a very strange person... when I read your review I literally jumped up and down for a second saying "YES". Mostly because you commented on the very things I intended to achieve with this story. I hope this remains piercingly honest.

**The Mysterious Mr. Anonymous** - Great to hear... still have your interest?

**Detective Kat **- I bring more nonsense :D My meeting didn't go as hoped T.T


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